Can We Take a Moment of Silence for Taylor Swift’s VMAs Bedazzled Eye Makeup?

Naturally, fans think the look doubles as an Easter egg.

taylor swift vma makeup
(Image credit: Axelle Bauer Griffith/Getty)

Last night was a great night for Swifties. Taylor Swift not only made a surprise appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards (!!!), but she also announced that she’d be dropping a new album, Midnights, on October 21st. As if that wasn’t enough to break the Internet, the “All Too Well” singer, writer, and producer did all that while looking drop dead gorgeous in an Oscar de la Renta dress. But the makeup? That was the true star of the show—and obviously courtesy of none other than Dame Pat McGrath

taylor swift at the vmas

(Image credit: Axelle Bauer Griffith/Getty)

The gorgeous glam was statement-making, featuring a bold red lip, flawless skin, and a bedazzled floating wing that left us speechless. “It’s always an absolute joy to work with the most divine Taylor Swift on creating a timeless red carpet look,” McGrath said in a press release shared with Marie Claire. “Tonight’s look for the 2022 VMAs was sophisticated, sultry, and sublime, a combination of Divine Skin, a crystal winged eye created with my new MOTHERSHIP X: Moonlit Seduction Eye Palette, and the perfect red lip with LiquiLUST Legendary Wear Lipstick in ELSON 4.” 

The makeup, gorgeous as it was, sent fans spiraling into a world of Easter egg hunting. Dissecting every square inch of Taylor's look is par for the course for the  fan base—and some of the takeaways were hard to deny. The most buzzed about hypothetical was that the look, complete with the red lip and chain-link dress a la “Look What You Made Me Do,” was indicative that Reputation (Taylor’s Version) is on the horizon. “UMMMM HELLO!!!! IS TAYLOR SWIFT BEING AT THE VMA’S TONIGHT DRESSED SIMILARLY TO THE LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO VIDEO AN EASTER EGG THAT WERE GETTING REPUTATION TAYLOR’S VERSION SOON?!?! Holy s–t, holy s–t, holy s–tttttt. LETS GOOOOOOO,” one, very excited, person wrote via Twitter. 

Another fan pointed out that the look could be indicative that Taylor would have a soundtrack on the Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which is set to come out in 2023. “Taylor’s eye makeup is giving hunger games capitol. Easter egg that she’s on the songbirds and snakes soundtrack,” one fan guessed. 

While the truth behind these Easter eggs remains to be determined, we can say with 100 percent accuracy that this is one of Taylor’s best makeup looks to date. 

Shop Taylor’s Makeup Look 

Samantha Holender
Beauty Editor

Samantha Holender is the Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and keeps up with the latest trends in the beauty space. She has previously written for Us Weekly, Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Follow her on Instagram @samholender.